Management tips for newly diagnosed RAO horse

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Street_Skill

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As above really!

My horse has been diagnosed today with Recurrent Airway Obstruction. He's been coughing for a while and two courses of antibiotics and Ventipulmin didn't shift it. Had the results of the BAL yesterday which showed infection, but this was secondary to an underlying allergy. I picked up steroids and more Ventipulmin and antibiotics (injectable, not my favourite!) for him today and he has started on them immediately. He is already on a pellet bed which is mucked out daily in a well ventilated stable, plus soaked hay with regular daily turnout and she has recommended that I continue gentle exercise with him to try and shift the gunk. My vet doesn't feel that there is any more I can do environment wise, however every day is a school day and I would welcome any tips from anyone who has already been through this experience, including any opinions on what the best bedding is as it's a blinking minefield!!!
 
Is 24/7 turnout an option at all? Keeping the head down is key in any airway issue in my opinion. If you can't turnout, at least have all feed on the floor so he never has his head high enough to gather gunk.
 
Street_Skill said:
As above really!

My horse has been diagnosed today with Recurrent Airway Obstruction. He's been coughing for a while and two courses of antibiotics and Ventipulmin didn't shift it. Had the results of the BAL yesterday which showed infection, but this was secondary to an underlying allergy. I picked up steroids and more Ventipulmin and antibiotics (injectable, not my favourite!) for him today and he has started on them immediately. He is already on a pellet bed which is mucked out daily in a well ventilated stable, plus soaked hay with regular daily turnout and she has recommended that I continue gentle exercise with him to try and shift the gunk. My vet doesn't feel that there is any more I can do environment wise, however every day is a school day and I would welcome any tips from anyone who has already been through this experience, including any opinions on what the best bedding is as it's a blinking minefield!!!
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Your only other option really is for him to live out 24/7 but I know that's not always possible. What you could do is place a humidifier next to his hay. You'd need to make a cage for it, but it would keep humidity high in the part of the stable that he spends most of his time.
 
Thanks both. Sadly 24/7 turnout isn't an option where we are, however in a couple of weeks we should *hopefully* have them out overnight and in during the day which should give him more hours away from his stable. I need to persevere with the hay on the floor thing. I have tried it but it's a bit hit and miss. Sometimes he hoovers it up and other times he just stands in it and doesn't eat anything. His appetite has been a bit hit and miss lately so hopefully as he starts to pick up a bit I can try putting his hay on the floor again. Or give one of those hay mangers a go. I was considering trying a hay steamer. Humidifier sounds like an interesting idea, will have a look!
 
Street_Skill said:
Thanks both. Sadly 24/7 turnout isn't an option where we are, however in a couple of weeks we should *hopefully* have them out overnight and in during the day which should give him more hours away from his stable. I need to persevere with the hay on the floor thing. I have tried it but it's a bit hit and miss. Sometimes he hoovers it up and other times he just stands in it and doesn't eat anything. His appetite has been a bit hit and miss lately so hopefully as he starts to pick up a bit I can try putting his hay on the floor again. Or give one of those hay mangers a go. I was considering trying a hay steamer. Humidifier sounds like an interesting idea, will have a look!
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The steamers are great but I'd rather spend the extra cash and get a haygain than a cheaper alternative as if the right temps aren't reached for long enough, all you'll do is improve conditions for the bacteria.

Good luck. Xx
 
I find haylage far better than hay if being out 24/7 is not an option although in my experience getting them out full time over the summer can make a huge difference to how the cope when they have to be in, one or two very sensitive horses have almost been "cured" by being out and have been far less of an issue the following winters.
 
Out as much as possible, 24/7 if possible. I only bring my lad in the night before shows now. I found buying the best quality haylage I could made a huge difference, and also wetting feed. I cut a hole in a wheelie bin and feed my stable hay from that, stops him mashing it into floor
 
Thanks all, it's great to hear what works for other people's horses as not been through this before. Horse is a delicate flower so making his environment as good as possible will hopefully keep him happy. We have a Haygain distributor not far from us, they do yard visits so may give them a ring. My OH and I make our own hay from my in-laws paddock and we do actually have a bale-at-a-time haylage wrapper so might dust it off for this year if it's going to help him, although last time I vowed never again as it's such hard work!
 
haygain produce excellent steamers. however, I couldn't afford to pay that. I looked on you tube and with the help of a friend we created our own. I personally think it is brilliant - my boy has indoor stables and we have an indoor school. during the winter he is in most of the time - his choice - he hates cold, crappy weather - he is now 20 and I have had him for 11 years so I am not going to argue with him - I know him far too well. he was almost unrideable 18 months ago - he used to cough and fart for England - he would have won a medal at the Olympics. we build a hay steamer - using a wheelie bin, and a wall paper steamer - within three weeks he was a totally different horse - we are now doing novice dressage, he easily jumps round a 1m show jumping course and is much happier in himself. I recon it takes about 40 mins to do the first net and then about 20 mins for the second one and the same again for the third . I do all his haynets in the morning before I go to work - dead easy - I have not had any bacteria issues - what he doesn't eat I empty out and a friends Shetland eat the next night. hope that helps - if you need any more advise about how to construct message me
 
I found pellets quite dusty so would use paper instead.
Is there enough ventilation in the stable? Even something as drilling some small holes at the top opposite the door will
Help.
 
meleeka said:
I found pellets quite dusty so would use paper instead.
Is there enough ventilation in the stable? Even something as drilling some small holes at the top opposite the door will
Help.
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This is what I was worried about to be honest, plus he is wetter than a wet thing so I can just see me going through bedding like there's no tomorrow in order to keep him dry and ammonia free. I put two bags of pellets in on Saturday and was hoping to average about 5 bags a month, however the bed is looking really thin already so it's not looking like the most economical option. My yard has a small feed/bedding shop on site so I have access to anything from the Bed Down range, plus pellets and cheaper (and probably dustier) shavings. I was wondering about something like Rapasorb which is the chopped rape straw? Maybe mixed in with pellets?

Thanks claret09, your experience is really helpful. I have seen hay steamers in videos on YouTube etc. made from wheelie bins. May well send you a message for more details as would be interested to know how practical it would be for me to make one with my limited DIY skills! :D
 
Summers coming so should get better. I would look for alternative livery to get him out of the stable. It's the only way, in my experience. every year he will get worse and worse, the more stable confinement he gets. You need him out or at least walking the yard with haylage not hay. Steaming hay and soaking it is a pain in the butt.
My lad has has a gravelled turnout area, built especially for him out of post and rail with leccy over three sides and some rubber matting down bare for cushioning .... on the remaining side his haylage is small hole netted at chest height in winter, but he is only there when fields are trashed. Stables will build up recurrent scar tissue over the years from all the coughing.
 
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Achinghips said:
Summers coming so should get better. I would look for alternative livery to get him out of the stable. It's the only way, in my experience. every year he will get worse and worse, the more stable confinement he gets.
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24/7 turnout is really not an option here unfortunately. We are on heavy clay in our area and in the winter it is bottomless. I do have access to 5 acres of land, however it is unfenced with no water or electricity. He would need a companion, which realistically I can't afford, and I am a shift worker so I need to know that he is being looked after when I can't get there. I have recently moved him back to the best livery yard around me (spent 8 months away at another yard which is where all the problems started without going into too much detail) and am hoping that together we can turn him around. He is looking (and feeling) so much better on the medication, and I have just changed him over to Bed Down Excel as I was finding that the pellets were leaving a film of dust on his water bucket overnight, and surprisingly were not very economical! Thank you everyone for all your replies, it is definitely giving me food for thought!
 
Street_Skill said:
This is what I was worried about to be honest, plus he is wetter than a wet thing so I can just see me going through bedding like there's no tomorrow in order to keep him dry and ammonia free. I put two bags of pellets in on Saturday and was hoping to average about 5 bags a month, however the bed is looking really thin already so it's not looking like the most economical option. My yard has a small feed/bedding shop on site so I have access to anything from the Bed Down range, plus pellets and cheaper (and probably dustier) shavings. I was wondering about something like Rapasorb which is the chopped rape straw? Maybe mixed in with pellets?

Thanks claret09, your experience is really helpful. I have seen hay steamers in videos on YouTube etc. made from wheelie bins. May well send you a message for more details as would be interested to know how practical it would be for me to make one with my limited DIY skills! :D
Click to expand...

Are you on a matting of any sort? If you're not, look into getting some proper EVA matting (cowmats) down as that will then reduce the need for a big bed. You can either get them all sealed in with a mastic bead, or don't seal them and lift regularly (as they are light enough) to clean underneath to rid of any built up ammonia smells.

Aside from Nugz eating pellets (rogue ones I had missed), and mucking out others I have found them to be dusty if not kept 100% on top of. The only bedding that I have found that doesn't set my OH's asthma off (I use him as a barometer for dust in the stable), is Easibed. Even other makes purporting to be dust free are still a trigger, but Easibed seems to be almost washed before being packed - it's weird! You need a decent amount the start, especially if not on matting, but it's free draining, doesn't seem to move that much and is much easier to muck out if you have a decent base to start.

We have to hoover out cobwebs and acquired dust out of Nugz stable if he's staying in for any amount of time and he has soaked hay. Interestingly, now that he's out predominantly 24/7 bar the odd occasion, his tolerance of dust, allergens and general air pollution seems to be better. Although he is struggling with the dusty ground at the moment.
 
24/7 turnout is really the only cure IME (sorry I know its not what you want to hear). Mine has been out full-time for 2 years and is now able to tolerate dry hay and straw bedding for short periods.

That said, I did manage my boy fairly successfully for 2 years at a livery yard on a 50/50 in and out routine. He had well soaked hay most of the time and I kept a supply of high-fibre small bale haylage which I used whenever he coughed. The hay was fed at ground level in hay pillows (he's not shod). I hoovered the stable out every fortnight or so. He was on matting and shavings and I never mucked out with him around, always had him turned out or tied well away from the stable. This worked well and he didn't need any medication, though he did have one bad attack in winter. He didn't improve though and would always revert if he got hold of some dry hay or was near dusty bedding.
 
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